Beware the CRA Phishing Scam by Reg Coffey

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CFN – Apparently this is Fraud Prevention Month according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. It would appear that in celebration of that someone has come up with a particularly appealing fraud during tax season. Just today I received an email supposedly from the Canada Revenue Agency telling me that they made a mistake on my last return and want to refund me $800.

The following is the text that was sent me but I didn’t include the CRA logo that came along with it. There was also a link to a realistic web site that mimics the style of CRA web pages. It was very convincing.

Claim Your Tax Refund Online

We identified an error in the calculation of your tax from the last payment, amounting
to a 804,49$. In order for us to return the excess payment, you need to create a Tax Gateway account after which the funds will be credited to your specified bank account.

Please click “Get Started” below to claim your refund:

Get Started

We are here to ensure the correct tax is paid at the right time, whether this relates to payment of taxes received by the department or entitlement to benefits paid.

I mean, getting unexpected money back from the CRA, nothing could be sweeter right? I soon realized that this seemed too good to be true so I found the 1-800 number for the CRA and called them. The agent I talked to told me it was a scam. The CRA would not send out emails in that manner asking for information. They already know everything about you. Someone was trying to get information about my bank account so they could drain it.

A call to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre found an automated message saying that they know about the CRA Phishing fraud and to delete the email and definitely do not give away any information. If you had unfortunately filled out the request for information then stay on the line and someone would take your information and try to help you.

A lot of these types of fraud can be very compelling but neither government departments nor banks will ever ask you for personal information in an email. If you don’t believe that kind hearted philanthopist in Nigeria that wants to give you $10,000,000 then you shouldn’t reply to this type of phishing scam either.

Information about about the popular forms of fraud and how to avoid it can be found on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre web site.

http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/english/home.html

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13 Comments

  1. Do you folks want a good laugh. We were talking about fraudsters well here this. Someone in the US tried to use Eric Holder’s name on income tax. LOL LOL.

    http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/prosecutors–fra

    There is so much fraud these days and you cannot trust anybody at all. When I saw this my jaw dropped down in shock.

    Eric Holder is the US attorney general of all things. LOL LOL. ROLF! People have some gaul to do what they do.

  2. This scam has been around for years. Government, all government, will NOT ask you to verify your info online. If in doubt call the department concerned. As well, you can cut and paste the link the scammers give you into a new webpage, It should come up with an error message or warning.

  3. Reggie
    The CRA don’t help consumers as they do call and leave LEGIT messages on your phone machine leaving a phone number and telling you to call back with your income tax forms in hand
    I had to make several calls before finding out this was a legit request

    Would like to point out that SCAMMERS are sending out phony emails that report to be from your bank asking you to correct information. Because these scammers send out so many i got one from BMO shortly after I had corrected some information on their site…SO BE CAREFUL
    Best Practice…never reply to emails…Look up phone number and call

    @Jules we accept your heartfelt apology very nice of you to make it :LOL LOL RolF

  4. @ Peter Jenkin…..this article is in regard to the CRA email scam. It has nothing to do with legitimate phone calls that CRA makes to taxpayers.

    In regard to bank scam (& basically all email scams) emails you can cut and paste the link the scammers give you into a new webpage, It should come up with an error message or warning. Right click the link, copy the web address and then cut and paste the link the scammers give you into a new webpage. It should come up with an error message or warning.

  5. @hugger1
    Don’t rely on copy paste since many times the scammers will actually register a domain name similar to the institution they are claiming to be to make Iit seem legit.

    Best practice is to never open or reply to any emails offering any money. No banks or goverment agencies use email for these purposes.

  6. @hugger
    Did you even read my comment before “correcting me”
    I fully understand what the article is about
    All I was suggesting was that CSA ADDS to the problem by leaving message on phone machines
    I thought Jules was the only one here who thought they had ALL the answers

  7. To all readers of Cornwall Free News
    No matter what your stand on religion would it really be asking too much for commentators to treat other members the way they would like to be treated???

    I have an account at Standard Freeholder but NEVER use it because they seem to have a pack of hate mongers who pick apart your every word.
    So I came to “Jamie Land” were you get a chance to express your thoughts and Jamie reads all posts before they go up.
    But recent events have me rethinking my position.

    First frequent writer Jules goes off on my friend Peter making outrageous claims against him
    Was so very happy to learn that Jules had called Peter and apologized for her actions as she realizes Peter has always been behind Jamie and the Cornwall Free News…Well done Jules

    Just after that infighting settled down Hugger1 seems to have taken the torch from Jules and started “talking down” to Peter about an innocent comment he made trying to save fellow seniors from being scammed.There is absolutely NO reason for this and creates a poisonous environment almost as bad as the hate groups going after Jamie.
    Ms Hart and each and every person listed on this Hate Petitions would be going out of their minds if this was happening against them or a family member. If CFN is such a threat or negative influence it will fail all on its own.
    Its like that old fuddy duddy Bill O’Reilly screaming about a rap song or Beyonce video taking over the minds of the young. Its just nonsense..
    So Jules/Hugger1 please get with the program. Continue to add your voices to the discussion but please cut out the needless attacks on others

  8. @ Peter Jenkin….if CRA doesn’t contact you by phone, how do you suggest they do it? If someone is concerned about phone messages and numbers they can check on the internet if the phone number that CRA left is valid or not.

    @ Claudette MacIntosh…..I was not talking down to Peter or attacking anyone. But I guess you can think what you want as you seem to be telling me what to do.

  9. If anyone has taken my muses as offensive, correcting them, talking down to them, attacking them, etc. please accept my apologies. I never intend to do that, but sometimes I get wound up on topics near and far from me and sometimes tend to go off on the closest subject.

    As for Peter’s comment on seniors being scammed I agree. Scammers, on the other hand, won’t agree. They will do anything to scam someone. Can you say “Microsoft Technical Support calling about your Windows?”

    And please do not bundle Jules and myself in the same group. 99% of the time I disagree with her.

  10. Hugger thank you so much
    I realize that I am thin skinned but after Jules went after me, especially claiming i was for Mayor Kilger and the clique, it was really upsetting. Consider the case closed and no hard feelings on my part
    I was simply blown away by your last post its so rare for anybody to state they weren’t out to hurt.
    Hugger I only made the comment about CSA phone call because it left me “afraid”
    Part One…is this legit or not…even my doctor or hospital won’t leave messages on my machine for privacy reasons. The call also came in the middle of an ad campaign by CSA to beware of scammers that they ran about two months ago. I figure they should have waited till a human answered my phone or sent me a snail mail letter
    Part Two ..if this is legit what do CSA want with me. My tiny disability pension is just enough for me and my cat…so why are CSA “after me” when the Fat Cats spend more on dinners and hockey tickets than i make in a year.

    So now with Jules phoning me to apologize and Hugger and I getting on the same page..its off to tackle the boycott bullies..
    thanks
    peter

  11. Peter Jenkins many people jump down on top of me for whatever their reasons are because I speaking badly about Cornwall and they cannot take the truth. I do not go and complain to Jamie either and he can tell you that himself. I receive many negative things from everyone and nobody stands up for me. I have no friends here since I know nobody and don’t want to know anybody personally.

    Claudette you are right in what you said about personal attacks and I get them all the time here on CFN. I haven’t looked at the toilet paper of record – SF in a long time and the only time I went there was to look at the garbage that was posted about Jamie and never touched that dirty thing again. I don’t even look at the other toilet paper of record Seaway News at all whatsoever. I don’t even go on Ottawa’s newspapers and never had an interest in it at all. You would have a good laugh to know the amount of times that I have read any paper here in Ottawa and I am talking about hard copy. Most people do not purchase the paper and hard copy is going out the door soon.

  12. Claudette not everyone will agree with another all the time or even half the time and there are plenty of things that I don’t agree with a lot of people here either but I don’t go and cry about that and I am not thin skinned but tough because all my life I had to fight in order to survive. Peter is supposed to be a man and not hide behind your skirt and be able to stand up for himself. Nobody stands up for me but I get lots of hate thrown at me. I too stand up for Jamie all the way and that is the truth 100% and more. Jamie is the best there is and too good for a great many people. I always say what I think and many of my posts are not published. Jamie is the best and I like and respect him all the way and there isn’t enough thanks said to Jamie for all what he does and the person that he is. That is what I wanted to tell you and all. I don’t care if you hate me as long as you support Jamie.

  13. @ Peter Jenkin….thanks for understanding.

    In regard to phone calls from CRA, doctors or hospitals. I find most will leave messages on answering machines, but will not leave details about why they are calling. This is how I’d like it handled. If they were to keep calling until they actually got to talk to someone it could be a long wait for you. And the long wait could cause stress as the info needed from you / or needed to be passed to you could be time sensitive. I work as a volunteer at an organization here in Cornwall. We do calling all the time. If we didn’t leave messages we wouldn’t get hold of 90% of the people we were trying to reach. Part of the problem is that CRA, doctors or hospitals call during their business hours, which just happen to coincide with most people’s working hours. Sort of a catch 22 situation.

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